Cadency labels of the British royal family

Heraldic labels are used to differentiate the personal coats of arms of members of the royal family of the United Kingdom from that of the monarch and from each other. In the Gallo-British heraldic tradition, cadency marks have been available to "difference" the arms of a son from those of his father, and the arms of brothers from each other, and traditionally this was often done when it was considered important for each man to have a distinctive individual coat of arms and/or to differentiate the arms of the head of a house from junior members of the family. This was especially important in the case of arms of sovereignty: to use the undifferenced arms of a kingdom is to assert a claim to the throne. Therefore, in the English royal family, cadency marks were used from the time of Henry III, typically a label or bordure alluding to the arms of the bearer's mother or wife. After about 1340, when Edward III made a claim to the throne of France, a blue label did not contrast sufficiently with the blue field of the French quarter of the royal arms; accordingly most royal cadets used labels argent: that of the heir apparent was plain, and all others were charged.[1] Bordures of various tinctures continued to be used into the 15th century.

 Label and charges

  
   
   

The label
Main article: Label (heraldry)

In the ordinary system of differences a label of three points (which has also been termed a label with three files) is the distinction of the eldest son during the lifetime of his father. In the oldest rolls of arms the labels are all of five points; but labels of three points were at an early period used interchangeably. Besides being used as mere temporary marks of cadency, labels are also employed as permanent distinctions, borne (like any other charge) by every member of some particular branches of certain families. Labels are the principal cadency marks used in certain royal families. In the British royal family, all labels are argent (white). The sons and daughters of the sovereign all bear labels of three points argent; that of the arms of the Prince of Wales is plain, but all others are charged. Further descendants of princes bear labels of five points charged. All such differences should be borne on the arms, crest, and supporters.

Charges


Red Cross

Rose

Heart
Fleur-de-lis
blue

Anchor

Thistle

Trefoil

Red Lion

Ermine

Crown

Escalope

Bee

Roundel

The system of a special mark for difference for each member of the family goes back to the time of Henry III, whose successor, as a prince, placed such a mark on the shield of England. Since 1340 this label has almost always been white, and overlaid with small figures, or charges, such as red crosses of St George.[2] This red cross represents England and its patron saint, and was first borne by Richard of Bordeaux (future king Richard II) before the death of his father Edward, the Black Prince in 1376. Other charges used:

Labels used since the Hanoverian succession
  • UK Arms since accession of Victoria, 1837
  • Albert, Prince Consort
  • Prince Alfred (as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)
  • Prince Alfred (as Duke of Edinburgh)
  • Princess Beatrice
  • The Duke of Windsor
  • Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
  • Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
  • Prince George, Duke of Kent
  • Princess Margaret
  • Princess Alexandra
  • The Duke of Kent
  • Prince Michael of Kent
  • The Prince of Wales
  • The Princess Royal
  • The Duke of York
  • The Earl of Wessex
  • The Duke of Cambridge
  • The Duke of Sussex
  • Princess Beatrice of York
  • Princess Eugenie of York
King George I to Queen Victoria
NameTitleRoyal Warrant  Label argent[2][3]
 Notes
King George I
(1660–1727)		Electoral Prince of Hanover
British King from 1714.		 As George was never a cadet member of the British royal family, he never had such a label.
Ernest
(1674–1728)		Duke of York and Albany, Earl of Ulster1716





Brother of George I.
Bishop of Osnabrück.
George
(1683–1760)		Prince of Wales 1714 Future King George II.
Frederick
(1701–1751)		 Duke of Gloucester 1718,
Duke of Edinburgh 1726
Prince of Wales 1729
Anne
(1705–1759)		 Princess Royal 1719 2nd child, eldest daughter of George II.
Princess of Orange-Nassau.
1727
Amelia
(1711–1786)		 1719
1727
Caroline (1713–1757) 1719
1727





William
(1721–1765)		1725
Duke of Cumberland
1726		1727
Mary
(1723–1772)		1727
Louise
(1724–1751)		1727





Queen of Denmark and Norway
Augusta
(1737–1813)		1813 Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
George (1738–1830)2nd Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales 1751 Future king George III
Edward
(1739–1767)		Duke of York and Albany 17601752
William (father)
(1743–1805)		Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh 1764
Henry (1745–1790)Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn 1766
Frederick
(1750–1765)		Posthumous
George
(1762–1830)		Prince of Wales 1762 Future King George IV
Frederick
(1763–1827)		Duke of York and Albany 1784
William
(1765–1837)		Duke of Clarence and St Andrews 17891781 Future King William IV
Charlotte
(1766–1828)		Princess Royal Queen of Württemberg
Edward
(1767–1820)		Duke of Kent and Strathearn 1799 Father of Queen Victoria
Augusta Sophia
(1768–1840)		1789
Elizabeth
(1770–1840)		1789 Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg
Ernest Augustus
(1771–1851)		Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale 1799 King of Hanover 1837
Augustus Frederick
(1773–1843)		Duke of Sussex 1801
Adolphus
(1774–1850)		Duke of Cambridge 1801

Mary
(1776–1857)		1789 Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Sophia
(1777–1848)		1789
Amelia
(1783–1810)		1789
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
(1790–1865)		as consort of Princess Charlotte of Wales Later first King of the Belgians
Charlotte of Wales
(1796–1817)		1816
Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II
Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (1819–1901) No known arms were assigned to her as Princess. Future Queen Victoria
Albert of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha (1819–1861)Prince Consort1837 Husband of Queen Victoria. Quartered these arms with his paternal arms of Saxony.
Victoria
(1840–1901)		Princess Royal1841 German Empress
Albert Edward
(1841–1910)		Prince of Wales1841 Future King Edward VII (1901)
Alice
(1843–1878)		1858 Grand Duchess of Hesse.
Alfred
(1844–1900)		Duke of Edinburgh? Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Helena
(1846–1923)		1858 Princess of Schleswig-Holstein.
Louise
(1848–1939)		1858 Duchess of Argyll
Arthur
(1850–1942)		Duke of Connaught
and Strathearn		1874
Leopold
(1853–1884)		Duke of Albany 18811856
Beatrice
(1857–1944)		1858 Princess of Battenberg.
Albert Victor
(1864–1892)		 Duke of Clarence and Avondale1890 The firstborn son of Edward Prince of Wales, died in 1892.
George
(1865–1936)		 Duke of York1892 Future King George V (1910)
Prince of Wales1901
Louise
(1867–1931)		Princess Royal 19051889 Duchess of Fife
Victoria
(1868–1935)		1896
Maud of Wales
(1869–1938)		1896 Queen of Norway
Alfred of Edinburgh
(1874–1899)		? Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Marie of Edinburgh
(1875–1938)		? Queen of Romania
Victoria Melita of Edinburgh
(1876–1936)		? Grand-duchess of Hesse, later Grand-duchess of Russia
Alexandra of Edinburgh
(1878–1942)		? Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Margaret of Connaught
(1882–1920)		1905 Crown princess of Sweden
Arthur of Connaught
(1883–1938)		1904
Alice of Albany
(1883–1981)		1934 Countess of Athlone
Beatrice of Edinburgh
(1884–1966)		? Duchess of Galliera.
Charles Edward of Albany
(1884–1954)		2nd Duke of Albanynone Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Deprived of his British titles 1919. Never granted arms in right of the United Kingdom, but used the arms of Dominion of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as was his right as its sovereign.
Patricia of Connaught
(1886–1974)		1919 Lady Patricia Ramsay
Edward
(1894–1972)		 Prince of Wales1911 King Edward VIII, abdicated 1936
Duke of Windsor1937 Unique use of a Crown for an abdicated monarch.
Albert
(1895–1952)		Duke of York 19201912 Future King George VI (1936)
Mary
(1897–1965)		Princess Royal 19521921 Countess of Harewood
Henry
(1900–1974)		Duke of Gloucester 19281921
George
(1902–1942)		Duke of Kent 19341921
Alastair of Connaught
(1914–1943)		2nd Duke of Connaught
and Strathearn		1942 Quarterly 1 and 4 his grandfather's arms; 2 Fife; 3 Duff.
Elizabeth II
Philip
(born 1921)		Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Consort 1947–49: his arms included an inescutcheon of his ancestor Princess Alice (Grand Duchess of Hesse): the Royal Arms with a label as shown above.[4]
Elizabeth
(born 1926)		1944 Future queen Elizabeth II (1952)
Margaret
(1930–2002)		1944 Countess of Snowdon
Edward of Kent
(born 1935)		2nd Duke of Kent1948
Alexandra of Kent
(born 1936)		1961 Lady Ogilvy
William of Gloucester
(1941–1972)		1962
Michael of Kent
(born 1942)		1962
Richard of Gloucester
(born 1944)		2nd Duke of Gloucester1962
Charles
(born 1948)		Prince of Wales1958
Duke of Rothesay1974
Anne
(born 1950)		Princess Royal1962 Formerly Mrs Mark Phillips
Andrew
(born 1960)		Duke of York1962/63
Edward
(born 1964)		Earl of Wessex1983
William
(born 1982)		Duke of Cambridge2000 The escallop is taken from the arms of their mother Diana Spencer (1961–1997).
Harry
(born 1984)		Duke of Sussex2002
Beatrice of York
(born 1988)		2006 Bee from the arms of her mother. The three bees are a canting of her first name.
Eugenie of York
(born 1990)		2008 Thistles from the arms of her mother.

See also

References
  1. A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1909), p. 494. (Online texts at https://archive.org/details/completeguidetoh00foxduoft or http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~bprince/hr/foxdavies/index.htm .)
  2. Ottfried Neubecker & John Brooke-Little: Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning (1997). ISBN 0-316-64141-3. "Signs of Differencing" (pp. 96–97).
  3. François Velde: Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  4. Boutell (page 219).
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